Objective: To investigate the physicochemical properties and hypoglycemic effect of insulinloaded
nanoparticles (INSNP)
upon rats after oral
administration. Methods: The mean diameter, associating ratio and invitro release kinetics of INSNP were investigated. The hypoglycemic effect of the two formulations of INSNP (Ⅰ,Ⅱ) was evaluated on the normal and diabetic rats by measuring the blood glucose levels. Results: The release profiles of INSNP were be well modelled using a biexponential function. The hypoglycemic effect was not significant after oral administration of 10 u/kg INSNP to the normal rats. The average blood glucose levels within 1~12 h dropped 35.0% and 35.5%, respectively, after 5 u/kg of INSNP (Ⅰ,Ⅱ) was orally administered to the diabetic rats, while it decresed 60.8% when 10 u/kg of INSNP (Ⅰ) was administered. In comparison with subcutaneous injection of the insulin solution, the pharmacological bioavailability calculated by the timeblood glucose decreased (%) profiles was 27.9% and 28.6%, respectively, for the INSNP Ⅰ and INSNP Ⅱ after oral administration. Conclusion: The hypoglycemic effect of insulin upon diabetic rats could be improved through the proper formulation of
nanoparticles.